Yes, I mean making money at Suite101....and $100+ per month, not total. For someone new to SEO writing, I would definitely recommend going with an established site like Suite101 or HubPages. Suite101's tutorials are unparalleled, in my opinion, and HubPages ranks highly in search engines and has an awesome downline program where you can get part of the revenue share generated by anyone you refer. By referring some great writers, I've actually make more from my referrals' hubs that I do my own. Shameless plug: If you decide to join HubPages, please use my referral link.

The reason I recommend starting on an established site is simple - there is virtually no set-up required other than establishing your account and reviewing the tutorials. But with your own site, you have to go through hours, even days, of work setting yourself up with a domain name, webhosting, installing a site, choosing website options, laying out the ads, etc, etc. before you can even start writing posts that have a chance of earning any money.

Sites like Suite101 and HubPages also give you access to awesome statistical reports that show you which articles get page views and earn money. The quick setup and immediate feedback allow you to learn so much with relatively little effort. Another plus - if you want to write about dog igloos one day and credit cards the next, you can. With your own site, to be effective, you will probably not have that much freedom.

With that said, I am just now starting to branch out on my own with standalone websites. The cost per click earnings have been great, and the return on time investment seems to be about equivalent to what I can make with every new article on Suite101 (considering the newness of my sites versus Suite101 weighed against the fact that I get to keep 100% of the revenue generated), but I like the fact that the material is mine forever and helps me establish credibility in my chosen areas. I have a few projects on the burner that I'm keeping to myself for now until I know that they are worth sharing, but TaxesandStuff.com is an example of my first attempt at going it alone (other than Lenagott.com, which is more of a creative outlet than revenue generator).

I'm finally at the point where I feel like I know exactly what I'm doing SEO-wise, and can tackle a standalone project. I wouldn't suggest going it alone until you know for sure that you have the SEO stuff down pat. Otherwise, you might waste a lot of time putting up content that goes nowhere.